I am SO not in love with you! (A Leo Valdez fanfiction)
by Datrandomfangirl
Summary: Leo Valdez is undercover at a school in Arizona, with the intention to find a certain demigod to bring back to Camp Half-Blood. He didn't count on one thing though–falling in love. Rated K /T because idk how to choose ratings.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, all! Guess who's a new writer that joined and decided to put in a story? That's right, ME! Whoop, whoop!**

** Okay, so this is a Heroes of Olympus fanfiction, and it's about our very own Leo Valdez falling in love (awwwww!) But for it to make sense, let's assume a few things never happened. WARNING SPOILERS FOR HOUSE OF HADES! Ok let's assume Leo never met Calypso, let's assume Coach Hedge never left to Camp Half-Blood to see Mellie and his baby (awwwwww!), and let's assume that for whatever reason, the Seven decided to trail back to America before continuing on to Greece.**

**That's a lot of assuming...but hey! All's good in books and fanfiction, right?**

**Also, I don't know if I should put this here or in the summary, but DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, neither do I own the Heroes of Olympus series! They both belong to RICK Riordan!**

**I always wondered why you had to do that. It's not like Rick would make fanfictions, or that anyone would claim to be him, haha. But I guess I had to do that in order not to get arrested.**

**OMGZ, that was such a long author's note, I'm so sorry. You can read my story now. Enjoy! Read! Review!**

Jen's POV  
Leo Valdez almost literally appeared out of nowhere.  
I mean, I know that sometimes people moved house at completely bizarre times of the school year. Sometimes right in the middle. Something's only a third of the way through. Sometimes they came a few weeks into the year.  
But two weeks before summer holidays? That seemed a little too bizarre.  
Yet here he was, a new kid who just plopped into my school, or more specifically, my home room. When I walked into class that day with my best friend Sara Harper, I almost stepped back in surprise.  
Because Leo Valdez was H-O-T. With a capital HOT.  
He had this goofy look about him, with his caramel colored skin tone and his curly black hair. He wore a simple leather jacket over a black T-shirt and denim jeans. His laid-back look just make him look even more attractive. His ears were slightly pointed, his eyes were mischievous, and his smile made him look like an elf. A very, very hot elf.  
He was surrounded by other guys, goofing around and acting like best friends even though he was brand new. He's like one of those kids who just has that effect: like a magnet for people. And as I watched, the magnet attracted girls as well- brats introducing themselves with little voices pretending they were shy and giggling like idiots when he shook their hands.  
I knew immediately that I was in love with him.  
Then I stopped myself. Just remember last time you fell in love, Jen.  
Still, I asked Sara who he was.  
'Oh, goofball over there? That's Leo Valdez. He's new. And hot.' I rolled my eyes at the last two things she said, because they were pretty obvious. Especially the being hot part.  
I sat at my usual seat, then I realized how convenient that was because I was right behind Leo and I could stare at him for ages and it wouldn't be obvious.  
Well, not completely obvious, anyway.  
And I thought I was getting away with it.  
Until he turned around and walked toward my table.  
Leo's POV  
I looked up when a tall, pretty girl walked into the class. Then I looked at the description Coach Hedge had sent me just a few minutes earlier, when he'd seen her coming to school. Blue jeans, purple T-shirt, zebra-print mini-shawl. Tall, black hair. Can't miss her.  
Then I looked back at the girl. She matched the description perfectly. Especially the 'can't miss her' part. She was dressed so loudly someone from the other side if the school could probably visualize her outfit.  
Coach had missed one thing though.  
The girl was beautiful.  
As the coach had already described, she was wearing simple blue skinny jeans that made her look stunning, somehow. She was also wearing a purple shirt with a zebra print mini shawl as the coach had said. I liked the way she stood out. She seemed like the kind of person who didn't really care what people thought about her. I liked that.  
And to top it all off she was carrying an orange and green striped bag. I don't know much about fashion, but I'm pretty sure that was meant to clash. That made me like her even more.  
She was tall (though I was still a couple of inches taller), with flowing black hair. When I say flowing, I mean flowing. As in she could be in a hair commercial without trying. She looked like a model.  
I was instantly in love.  
Anyway, here was the girl I'd been looking for. I got up and I could feel everyone looking up at me. I grinned and winked at them. 'Back in a sec,' I headed through the mini crowd that had gathered around me towards Mystery Girl. It wasn't hard because she was sitting right behind me, and when I stopped at her table she looked up in a mix of surprise and shock. Wait are those the same things? Whatever.  
'Hey!' I said cheerfully, pulling up a chair and straddling it backwards. I stuck out my hand to her. 'I'm Leo Valdez.'  
'Uh, hi,' she replied shyly, tucking her hair behind one ear. And can I just say how attractive that was...wait did I just say that out loud... 'I'm Jen Miller.'  
We shook hands. By now everyone at the table I'd been sitting at moments before had turned to us, wondering why I was addressing this one person.  
'So,' I said, drumming my fingers against the back of my chair. 'Almost the end of the school year, huh? Excited for the summer holidays?' I grinned at her.  
'Yeah, pretty excited,' she said, in a totally not excited voice. 'What's up with that, anyways?'  
'What's up with what?' I asked innocently.  
'You showing up out of nowhere two weeks before the summer holidays. That's pretty insane.'  
'Haha!' I fake laughed, though this girl was intriguing me more and more. 'Nothing gets past you, does it?' Just then the bell rang. I turned and winked at her. 'Well, if you'll let me sit at your table this lunch time, maybe I'll tell you about that. Sound good?' Before she could reply, I got up from my chair, returned it to its place, and walked up to mine.  
Jen Miller.  
Jen Miller...  
Jen's POV  
I stared at the back of Leo's neck (is it weird that even that is attractive?!) and tried to process what had just happened. Leo Valdez, newly crowned hottest guy in my class year school, had just asked to sit with me at lunch.  
No, no, I had to be dreaming.  
'Jen? JEN!' Sara jolted me back to reality. 'Jen, what did he want?' Her eyes twinkled at the idea of new gossip.  
'Oh, just small talk. You know. New guy.' I didn't mention how he'd wanted to sit next to me at lunch time. That would send Sara back to middle school, and she'd be all like 'LEO AND JEN SITTING IN A TREE' and she wouldn't be able to go any further because I'd have punched her in the face.  
'Huh. Yeah. Right.' Sara huffed and pouted, sulky that I didn't give more detail. Whatever.  
'Ok I'll give you more detail at lunch ok?' She perked up at that.  
'Ok,' she smiled and enjoyed the rest of the day.  
Till lunch time that is.  
Leo's POV  
I knew that lunchtime would be eventful since the morning when I told Jen we could talk then.  
I just wasn't expecting this.  
I had gotten my lunch and looked around for Jen. She was sitting with a bunch of other guys and girls at one of the middle tables. She was laughing and generally looked like she was having a great time. She gave the idea that she wasn't exactly the most popular, but she was content with her own friends so she didn't care. I grinned. I couldn't wait to go talk to her.  
Then I stopped myself. I reminded myself that I was here on a mission, not to get a girlfriend. Not just that, but even from here I could see someone kind of flirting with her. I automatically hated him.  
And if Jen was surrounded, I couldn't talk to her. I needed to think of a way to get her alone.  
I gritted my teeth,trying to think of a way around this new task, and set off for Jen's table.  
Jen's POV  
I was just about to fill Sara in on the exciting and amazing things Leo had said to me that morning ('so he asked me if I was excited for summer holidays, and I said YES!' 'OMG, really?! That's like teenage guy speak for marry me!'), when none other than Mr Valdez himself appeared, blocking out the sun.  
Sara stared at me like OMG he's right here like OMG and when she noticed I wasn't surprised she was like WAIT IS THAT WHAT HE TOLD YOU ABOUT AND YOU DIDN'T INTEND ON TELLING ME YOU EVIL SHREW and then she was like aaaaaw is he the one you've been saving a seat for that's so sweet.  
Most people wouldn't have been able to understand that. But between besties? Pfft. Eye talk is easy as cake.  
'Hi,' he grinned at everyone at the table, but mainly me. Which made my tummy explode in a big butterfly marathon.  
'Hey, Valdez,' I grinned back at him and casually indicated the seat next to me. 'Saved you a seat.'  
He looked surprised but set his food down and promptly began eating. Everyone else just stared, seeming to forget about their own food.  
'So,' Leo said casually, grinning from underneath a shag of his curly hair (hint to guys: looking up at girls through your hair is EXTREMELY attractive. As Leo Valdez was currently proving quite effectively.) 'Hi guys! I'm Leo Valdez. I'd shake your hands, but, you know.' He held up two cheesy hands. For some reason, even though I found that gross on just about everyone else, it was cute when Leo did it. Everyone burst out laughing.  
Everyone introduced themselves: Jessie Sullivan, Ellie Martinez, Anna Brewer, Zach Smith, Thomas Stevenson, Sandra O'Brien, and Sam Stewart. Sam sat opposite me, and everyone knew he had a big crush on me. And I mean everyone. It was super embarrassing, especially with Leo here.  
Anyways, chat went on as normal on the lunch table. Leo just slipped in as if he had known these people all his life and talked away. However, he reserved most of the chat for me.  
'So, do you play any instruments?' Leo asked, munching on his Deluxe Hot 'N' Spicy taco. 'Like guitar or anything?'  
I crossed my arms and glared at him. 'Oh no, Valdez, you are not getting out of this one. You said you would explain why you just popped up out of nowhere almost at the end of the school year.'  
He laughed. (Just when I thought I couldn't be more in love, I heard his laugh.) 'Did I say that, Jen? I said maybe.' Then he continued in a whisper, 'And I can't talk with so many people here. Just go with what I'm about to say, ok? I promise it'll all make sense eventually.'  
I looked into his brown eyes and nodded, not sure where this was going.  
'Um, so, instruments?' He prompted me.  
'Well, I always wanted to play the guitar, I even have my own, but my dad never had time to arrange lessons for me.' What was funny was I was actually telling the truth, yet Leo lit up like that was exactly what he'd wanted me to say.  
'Really? Whoa! As it happens, I've been playing guitar since before I could walk. I bet I could teach you!' Then he realized what he'd just offered and looked into his lap, blushing. 'I-I mean, if you want to...'  
'Sure!' I grinned, unable to hold my happiness. Leo Valdez had just invited me for guitar lessons! Possibly every week! 'How's Wednesdays?'  
'Sure!' Leo grinned back at me, cheesy taco and all. 'I drive a motorbike to school. Every Wednesday I could drop you at my house for- hmm, an hour?- and then drop you back home!'  
'Sounds like a plan!' I sighed, I almost couldn't believe my luck.  
'Um, hey! I love the guitar!' Sara butted in and batted her eyelashes all flirt-like at Leo. 'Could you teach me too?'  
'Uh, gee, sorry Sara.' Leo blurted. 'First time teaching, better do one at a time, ya know?'  
Sara looked disappointed, but she didn't say anymore.  
I looked back down at my tray of food. In my water, I saw a reflection of what should have been Sam Stewart, who was sitting opposite me. Instead I saw a snake head.  
I looked up at Sam. He was scowling pretty badly, but that was probably just because of the guitar lesson plans I'd just made with Leo. Then he opened his mouth to say something, and...  
...hissed.

**OOOOOOOH CLIFF HANGER!**

**I hope you liked that :) I've actually written a heck of a lot more, but this is like a taster to see if you guys like it. Plus, it would make a heck of a long chapter if I did that.**

**So yeah! That's it for now! Please read and review and rate and review and tell your friends and review and did I mention review? PLEASE REVIEW :) YAY HAPPY.**

**OK, IMMA LEAVE NOW PEACE OUT DEMIGODS**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello! Here's the next bit of my story! Yay!**

**Oh, and by the way, another thing we'd have to assume is that Leo is really buff and all that. I know he doesn't have to be because he's perf the way he is, but it'd be easier for Jen to fall for him soooooooo here!**

**PLEASE REVIEW AND SHARE AND ALL THAT SHIZNITTLE**

**OK.**

**HERE'S THE STORY NOW. BYE.**

Leo's POV  
I should have known.  
No wonder Sam seemed so evil. It _wasn't_ just because he was flirting with Jen (which, by the way, still pissed me off _just_ a little bit...), it was the fact that he was an actual monster. A hydra, to be exact.  
Now Sam stepped away from the lunch table. He was increasing in size, growing larger than the school building itself. His neck sprouted out eight other heads which promptly elongated and transformed to form snake heads. His limbs became scaly and stout. Spikes sprouted all the way along his back like the way most kids visualize dinosaurs. Soon he had finished his transformation, and he looked like a kid's worst nightmare. Probably because he was.  
I glanced at Jen. If Coach Hedge's hunch was right, she should be able to see through the Mist and see Sam in his true form. She did look terrified, but maybe she wasn't seeing through the Mist. I doubted it could make something like _this_ look normal.  
But I compared her face to everyone else at the table. They looked terrified as well, but differently from Jen. _Yeah,_ I decided, _she definitely CAN see through the Mist._  
I returned my attention to the hydra. I racked my brain for information I had learned at Camp Half-Blood. _Hydra, hydra..._  
I knew hydras had nine heads (no schist) and that they could be killed by cutting the heads off. However, every time you cut a head off, two more would grow in its place. The best way to kill hydras was with...  
I smiled as I remembered.  
_Fire._  
Jen's POV  
'Sara! WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?!' I asked, cowering. Sara didn't reply. She simply looked like she was about to throw up.  
I stared at Leo. He didn't look surprised, just concerned, like he was trying to figure out what to do. He didn't even look scared. I felt a surge of admiration for the curly haired guy. If this sort of stuff didn't scare him, surely he wouldn't mind going on a date with me...  
_No!_ I scolded myself, _you cannot date Leo. You know why._  
I turned my attention back to Leo. To my surprise and terror, he had gotten up from the table and was heading towards the beast confidently. He had pulled a pen out of his pocket. Like that would do much good.  
'Leo!' I yelled. 'What the heck do you think you're doing?!'  
He turned to me and grinned. Oh God, I might've simply fainted if I hadn't been so terrified. 'Don't worry, I've got this.' He turned back to the monster and uncapped his pen. I wondered what good that would do, until I saw what happened. It elongated until it became a full length sword. Yes, that's right, _sword_. As in killing people sword.  
He advanced towards the snake type thing. It looked back at him. Well, four of the heads did. The other five had their eyes trained on...  
..._me_.  
Leo's POV  
I wasn't really surprised the hydra was after Jen. It made sense since she was already 16. Demigod's scent becomes stronger once they become thirteen. Three whole years of that...man, it was a wonder she was still alive.  
_Like me,_ I thought.  
'Argh!' I charged at the hydra's first head. The celestial bronze sword sliced it off clean. I was _totally_ envious that it belonged to Percy, not me.  
Before the hydra could grow back two more heads, I glanced at my hand and concentrated all my willpower onto it. It caught fire and I slashed it across the neck of the hydra. It burned immediately. I put out the fire satisfyingly. That one neck wouldn't be giving me any problems any more.  
_Great_, I thought. _One down, eight to go._  
I gritted my teeth and set to work, cutting off the heads and burning them before they could grow back.  
I had chopped down and burnt the neck of the third head when I noticed that the other heads weren't so interested in Jen anymore. They all turned to me, hissing and spitting out poison. I was quick and agile, but there was no way I could fend them all off myself. I had to try though. The whole school was in danger.  
_Jen_ was in danger.  
I jumped and burned and skidded all around the last six heads. I managed to cut off two heads and burn the necks. Now I only had four heads left.  
I thought I was doing pretty well, until it heard Jen shout. 'Valdez! Look out!'  
I turned and saw one of the heads inches away from my face. A single snap could kill me.  
I tried to back up, but behind me the other three heads had me cornered.  
All I could do was stand there.  
Jen's POV  
I don't know why. I don't know how. But somehow all the anger and confusedness inside me welled up and came out in a single word: 'NO!'  
To my surprise, all four heads of the snake thing turned to look at me, momentarily forgetting about Leo.  
'You will NOT harm my boyf-uh, my friend!' I said, trying to sound as stern as I could. I hoped Leo hadn't heard the boyfriend comment. My voice sounded different; I sounded more sure and persuasive. 'You will leave, NOW!'  
The four heads raised in unison. While they were contemplating whether or not to listen to my instructions, Leo was able to cut off two more of the heads. He looked at me quizzically, as if to ask, _what the heck was that?_, then he burned their necks (I was still way confused and freaked out that his hand randomly caught on fire sometimes) and faced the last two.  
'Now,' he said, all confident. Oh God, he looked so _good_, standing there looking superior and unafraid, even though he was standing in the face of almost certain death. 'Are we going to have any more problems?'  
The two remaining heads just stayed where they were, probably still confused from when I was talking to them.  
'Thats what I thought you'd say.' Leo sliced his sword clean against both heads with a single swipe. Then his whole body caught on fire and he yelled, 'NOW GIVE LEO A HUG!' And he did: he hugged the headless body, burning it to pieces. All that was left was a single snake-skin-style bracelet lying on the floor.  
'Valdez!' I cried, running over to him. Before I could stop myself, I embraced him in a bear hug. Then I realized what I was doing and stepped back awkwardly. 'Um, sorry...'  
'Its ok,' he said. I looked up to him and he was grinning _that_ grin. The one that made my heart do a skipping rope contest with itself. Another thing I noticed: his clothes were perfectly intact, even thought his entire body had just caught on fire. 'I kinda owe you for saving my life.' He pulled me back into a hug. I stood there speechless, in his embrace, for about eight seconds. Then I pulled away from him.  
'Valdez, WHAT THE HECK JUST HAPPENED?! Sam, he-he turned into this huge argh and then you like had a pen and it turned into a sword and you like just swiped the neck off and your hands they caught on fire and just WHAT!'  
'Shhhhhh,' Leo laid a finger against my lips. Why exactly did that make my brain melt so much? 'Not so loud. Other people have no idea what just happened.'  
'Wha-what?'  
'Look, I'll explain in more detail later, ok? At the moment all you need to know is that you and I are the only people who saw that monster a second ago. It was definitely real, just no one else knows what happened. They'll have seen some other thing, like, I dunno, a giant rogue cow or something. Although I'm not sure which would be easier to believe.'  
I couldn't help giggling in spite of myself.  
'Oh, and one more thing.' Leo picked up the bracelet that had fallen to the ground when he'd hugged the monster to death. 'This bracelet came from the hydra-uh, the snake thing. It's a spoil of war. We get to keep it, like a gift for killing that monster.' He slipped it around my wrist. 'I want you to have it. Ya know, so you can remember that this actually happened. That you didn't just imagine it. Besides,' he winked mischievously at me, 'it's just the kind of thing a boyfriend does for his girlfriend, right?'  
I blushed madly. Oh God, he _had_ heard the boyfriend comment. Someone just kill me now.  
'It was just a slip of the ton-'  
'There you are!' I turned to see Sara heading towards me, a huge smile playing across her face. 'That was _so_ not a few minutes.'  
I stepped a little farther away from Leo. 'Uh, we were just, uh...'  
'Oh darling, we know _exactly_ what you've been doing!' Sara smiled knowingly.  
'Uh, you do?' I looked at Leo quizzically. He winked at me, as if to say, _she has NO idea._  
'Ah yes, _la typique_!' For some reason, I understood perfectly that she was saying "the typical" in French. 'Quite obvious, really, when you left together, saying you were going to talk for a few minutes.'  
'Uh, so you really didn't see-'  
'Catch up with you later, Jen!' Leo grinned at me and winked. My insides decided to melt again.  
As he walked away, Sara linked her arm through mine and whispered, 'Geez, Jen! He just got here! Give the rest of us with a chance, will ya?'  
'What are you talking about?' I whisper-shouted at her as she led me back towards our lunch table. I was so shocked that Sara really didn't know what had just happened. 'You really didn't see Sam Stewart turn into a weird snake type monster and almost _kill_ Leo?'  
Sara blinked, confused. 'Who's Sam Stewart? Is he another new guy? Is he as hot as Leo?'  
'Sara!'  
'Oh sorry,' she looked at the ground, blushing. 'It's not cool to hit on your friend's guy, I know.'  
It took me a while to register what she had said. 'Leo is _not_ my-'  
'Oh save it, Jen,' she rolled her eyes. 'Practically the whole school saw you two hug-_twice_. And that bracelet didn't just come out of nowhere.'  
I blinked and looked at my bracelet. Sure enough, it was still there. It was a sign that I didn't just imagine the whole killing snakes thing.  
'So you _really_ didn't see anything?'  
'I saw you two hug, and I saw him give you that bracelet- which BTDubs is ADORBS!- but yeah, that's about it.' Sara shrugged.  
I stared at her, surprised and a little miffed that she'd missed out on all the action. And that she didn't seem to recall or even know Sam Stewart.  
Whatever was going on, Leo Valdez had answers.  
And I needed them.  
_Fast_.  
Leo's POV  
She'd called me her boyfriend.  
Well, she hadn't _technically_. But she was about to. And it was the thought that mattered.  
By the way, just a random thought, but it's pretty hard to "_accidentally_" call someone your boyfriend. I mean, it's not exactly the first thing that comes into your mind when you think about a guy you just met and have only known for a day. Just sayin'.  
That wasn't the only thing that was on my mind, though. I kept thinking about the two hugs we'd shared after we'd defeated the hydra. And I say _we_ on purpose. I mean, sure, I was the one who did all the killing, but without Jen confusing the monster when she did, I'd be dead, not him. (That was on my mind as well. How did she get the monster to listen to her like that?)  
Anyway, I kept thinking about when she ran over to me and hugged me. When she'd pulled back apologetically. When I'd pulled her back to me, and held her there. She'd smelled like lavender and roses, if that was even a possible combination. I wished I could just stay there forever, her chin nuzzled comfortably in my shoulder, my hands cradling her head. Honestly, it was the best hug I'd had in years.  
Then she'd pulled away again. I don't really blame her. She'd just seen her first monster, a _hydra_, of all things. Of course she'd be terrified. It wasn't exactly time for _Huggle and Snuggle time with Leo!_ Still, she'd looked so confused and flustered and gosh darn cute, it took all my willpower not to just shut her up and hug her again. Who knows, I might've even had the nerve to kiss her.  
However, I knew we didn't have time for that. I had to explain at least a little bit about what had happened so she wouldn't be completely bewildered. I barely had time to explain the whole Mist thing that stopped the regular mortals from seeing the hydra. Then I gave her the spoil of war that had come from the hydra (it still struck me as a little odd that that great big monster had dissolved into a bracelet. But oh well.) to remind her that she _wasn't_ going crazy.  
And then, I dunno, in a surge of confidence, I mentioned the boyfriend thing. I don't know _what_ I expected her to say. I was hoping along the lines of, 'Oh yeah, sure I'll be your girlfriend Leo!' And we'd live happily ever after and sail into the sunset or whatever.  
Yeah, right. Instead she started making up an excuse about how it was a slip of the tongue, only to be interrupted by Sara. That girl was already starting to annoy me. She went basically _everywhere_ with Jen, and she was always interrupting when I tried to talk to her. I know that was just twice, but it seemed like a dozen times because it was the only two times I'd ever talked with Jen.  
Whatever. I tried to shrug away the thought. There was still the guitar lesson on Wednesday. We could talk then, for sure.  
_Still two days away though,_ I thought bitterly. Oh well. I'd just have to survive the next two days with no real conversations with Jen.  
Now there's a mission that scared me more than a hydra.

**Tada! Whaddya think XP? I really hope you liked that :) Sorry if it's a bit boring at the moment, things don't really get interesting till Wednesday (mini-spoiler there...lol) Anyway I don't expect my story to spread like wildfire, but insure would like to get a few reads on this :))) and if you do read it, please review, it makes me feel important**

**Ugh I seriously need to make my author's notes shorter.**

**Ok! So! Bye! See you when I next update!**


	3. Chapter 3

**First of all guys! Sorry! I haven't updated in a while but that's just because of this weird malfunction with . Idek what happened. **

**But! In return I will give an EXTRA long chapter! Yay!**

**ALSO! I thought that if I got reviews on my chapters/story I'd get an email to tell me. But NOOOOO. Turns out I got two reviews TWO FRICKING MONTHS AGO and I didn't find out till now. I was thinking no one had seen or read my story, but it turns out they had! So, sorry and thank you to Audrey and Not bob for reviewing! *virtual hug***

**So much for making my author's notes shorter...**

**Ok imma go now, enjoy the story.**

**Jen's POV**

The next two days, Tuesday and Wednesday, passed by somewhat uneventfully. My basic daily routine went something like this:

I would come into home room, sit at my place and stare at Leo's back for 15 minutes. Once, he turned round, caught me staring and grinned that grin. I tried in vain to make it look like I wasn't just checking him out. Then he turned back and kept chatting.

Then, I would basically zone out for two periods, perk up a bit when I saw that Leo for like five seconds during morning break, then zone out for two more periods before lunch. Somehow, Leo had made his place at my table permanent. I wasn't sure what would happen when Sam Stewart turned into a hydra and disappeared, but some guy called Jon Collins took his place like he'd always been there. Everyone else acted like he'd been there forever, but I knew he was new.

Anyways, that's how I ended up spending my lunch times next to Leo. I would have preferred if he sat opposite me, so I could gawk at him more easily, but sitting next to him made conversation easier. In fact, we talked all lunchtime like we were best buds.

Once on Tuesday lunchtime, Leo was making me laugh so hard I accidentally spilled my yoghurt all over his chin (don't ask me how, because I honestly do NOT know.). I was so embarrassed and started apologizing, but Leo just grinned and spread out his hands.

'Look everyone! It's a Hispanic Santa Claus!' He said.

Everyone at the table immediately burst out laughing, including me. I shook my head in disbelief. Leo Valdez just had this...this ability to make everyone be happy. I wished I could do that sometimes.

I reached for a napkin, and at the same moment Leo said, 'No, let me,' and he reached for a napkin as well. Our hands touched for a whole second, then I pulled mine away, blushing.

'Um, okay,' I said, redder than a tomato.

Leo started to wipe his face and then stopped. 'You know,' he said, grinning. 'I might not be able to see what needs to be wiped away. Could you help me?'

I was slightly surprised, but I took the napkin from him and obliged. His breath felt warm on my hand.

'Thanks,' he said when I was done. He was grinning again. I laughed and threw the napkin in his face.

'Anytime, Valdez.' I replied.

'My name's Leo,' he said.

'Nice to know, Valdez.'

He laughed and offered me his hand. I stared at it for a second before I realized he wanted me to take it. 'There's something I want to show you.'

**Leo's POV**

Yeah, yeah, I know I said I'd have to wait before I could talk to Jen.

And showing her Coach Hedge was probably a bad idea.

But looking at her sitting next to me at lunch, laughing and looking gorgeous, I just couldn't help it. I wanted some time with her. Alone.

So of course I wanted to show her that Coach Hedge was really a satyr. What else could we talk about in such a short time? I mean, explaining that her PE teacher from throughout the year was secretly half goat would only take about five minutes, right?

I took her by the hand and led her away from the table, aware of the giggles and eyes staring at us. I led her to the back of the gym where I'd arranged to meet with Coach Hedge every day during lunch. That's where I went yesterday after the hydra attack. Coach Hedge was there as usual, leaning against the wall, fiddling with the coach whistle that was around his neck. Maybe he was wondering if it could be a potential weapon if a random kid turned into a storm spirit and decided to throw me off the Grand Canyon.

Hey, it'd happened.

But that was another story.

Anyway, I walked up to Coach, still holding Jen's hand (which, by the way, was making me feel really jittery and happy inside). He looked up and scowled. Or maybe that was his normal facial expression. Whatever.

'Hey, Coach!' I said as cheerfully as I could. 'What's up?'

'Um, Valdez,' Jen let go of my hand (I had a brief moment to be sad), 'why did you take me to see Coach Hedge?'

'I see, you already know each other. So I'll skip the introductions.' I turned to Coach, with as serious a face as I could muster. 'Coach, I think she's ready to know.'

'Know what?' Jen asked, completely flustered.

'Know nothing.' Coach growled. 'She's not ready for anything, Valdez. You've only known her for a day.'

And a half, I thought, but I decided to keep that to myself.

'Yes, I know, Coach, but you know, with the hydra attack and everything, I just think...'

'The hydra attack?' Jen wrinkled her nose disapprovingly, as if thinking of it was disgusting enough. She looked so cute I had to stop myself from hugging her. 'You mean the snake thing? I thought only you and I could see that. And why does my PE teacher know something about me that I don't?'

'I don't, cupcake.' Coach Hedge glared at me. 'I don't even know what a–what did you call it?–a hydra is. Valdez here is just confused, that's all. Now scram, before I make you run extra laps tomorrow.'

I looked at Coach, and I realized that nothing I could do would make him change his mind. He would just deny and deny until I looked like a complete idiot and Jen ran away in shame.

Time to change plan.

'Ha!' I whirled round to Jen, pointing both my index fingers at her. 'Late April fools!'

'Oh, right. Haha.' She said, completely not amused. I didn't think she believed me. 'Yah, um, is that what you wanted to show me?'

I felt completely mortified. I didn't know what to do. So I simply spread out my hands and said, 'Um, surprise?'

She looked at me quizzically. 'Thats not what you wanted to show me, was it Valdez?'

She was so good at spotting little things that normal people would have overlooked. Wait, I just called her weird. Well, I meant it in a good way. So whatever.

Anyway, I decided to change course completely. I leaned in a bit closer to her ear. 'Actually, I'd hoped it'd be empty back here.'

'Why?' She asked.

'Cuz otherwise, I wouldn't have had the nerve to do this.'

I leaned down and kissed the top of her forehead. 'I never thanked you properly for saving my life yesterday. So yeah. Thanks.'

I don't think I've ever seen anyone's face as red as hers was. She suddenly got very interested in her shoes, and murmured something that sounded like, 'Um, you're welcome.'

I don't know what I would have done then. The coach was still a few inches away from us, pretending he wasn't overhearing what our conversation, but at that point I didn't care. What I wanted to do most now was hug her, or even better, kiss her. Like a real, proper kiss on the lips.

And I think I might've done it, too.

But then I heard an obnoxious voice coming round the corner. 'Yoooooooohooooo!'

I had to stop myself from literally growling as Sara poked her head round the wall. 'Oh! Hi there!'

'Sara?' Jen stepped away from me, as she'd done yesterday when Sara came and caught us together. 'We weren't, uh, we were...'

At least Sara hadn't witnessed the kiss on the forehead. I'm not sure Jen would've been able to go a deeper color of red.

'Oh, I know what you were doing, Jen.' She batted her eyelashes at me. It angered me deeply on the inside that she was flirting with me. 'And I can't say I blame you for doing it.'

I threw my hands up in exasperation. 'What on earth are you talking about?!'

'Oh, you know.' She puckered her lips and made a smoochy noise.

I was wrong. Jen did go a deeper shade of red.

I knew there was no way Sara could have seen me kiss Jen on her forehead. She was just guessing. Slightly accurate, but guessing.

'We were not-' I began.

'Oh, Leo, it's not your fault. No need to apologize.' Sara sighed dreamily. 'Its true love.'

Jen shook her head in disbelief. 'Sara, you're impossible.'

'I know, right?' She batted her eyelashes at me again. I was one bat away from burning them off. 'I hear that's a real turn-on for guys. Anywho,' she linked her arm through Jen's. 'We should go.'

'Um, yeah.' Jen wouldn't meet my eyes. 'Catch up with you, later, Valdez.'

'Yeah. Uh, you do that. Oh, don't forget the guitar lesson tomorrow.'

She perked up a bit. 'I won't. Thanks again for offering to teach me!'

'No prob. See ya.' I called as Sara led her away.

I turned to Coach Hedge, who was still leaning against the wall and grinning madly.

'What?' I demanded.

'You like her. That's what.'

I didn't answer. I just walked away.

**Jen's POV**

He.

Had.

Kissed.

Me.

On the forehead. But still.

Ok, so maybe I was lying about the Tuesday and Wednesday going by uneventfully. Because Leo Valdez kissing me is _kind of_ an event. Even though it was totally a friendly kiss, just him saying thank you for me saving his life, when the guy you like kisses you, you kinda freak out.

_You do NOT like Leo Valdez. You can't._ I thought to myself.

Anyway, it was finally the time I'd been waiting for since Monday lunchtime: the end of the day on Wednesday. And yes, Wednesday _did_ go completely uneventfully. No Leo kissing me behind the gym. But now me and Leo had this guitar lesson planned out and, well, let's just say the butterflies in my belly were having a disco party.

Anyway, Leo met me at my locker. 'Ready to go?' He asked, grinning.

I shoved my math book into my locker and slammed it. 'Yeah. Let's go.'

'Well, you two have _fun_.' Sara said. Her locker was right next to mine, and she was pouting because she still wanted to tag along to the guitar lesson. She wouldn't admit it, but I knew she still had a crush on Leo. Whatever. I saw him first.

_Stop it_, I scolded. _Leo cannot be your boyfriend._

Anyway, I shouldered my bag and walked to the motorcycle shed with Leo. It was light orange and rackety, with paint peeling off, but it was all the school could afford. Or was bothered to afford.

Leo jerked a thumb at his bike. 'There she is.'

Leo's motorbike was unlike any other I'd ever seen before. Just think of every single motorbike you've ever seen. Now take all it's coolness features and throw them all onto one bike. That's basically what Leo's bike was like. It was bright red, a very cool color, and it really stood out against the dull, dusty shed.

'Whoa. Cool.' I said, intelligently.

'Like it?' He asked, grinning. Now that I think about it, Leo spends, like, half of his time grinning. 'Made it myself.'

My mouth dropped open. 'You-You _what_?'

He laughed his Leo Valdez laugh. 'Yah, lots of people don't believe me. I'm good with machines in general. It comes from my dad's side.'

'Huh. Is your dad a mechanic or something?'

Leo laughed again. 'He's the daddy of all mechanics, more like.'

I knew this was a joke, but Leo said it pretty seriously.

I studied the bike. Awesome as it was, it only had one seat. There was no sidecar.

'Uh, Valdez, where am I going to sit?' I asked.

Leo fiddled with the zip of his leather jacket. 'Um, I'm going to have to sit in the seat, obviously, so I can drive. You're, uh, you're gonna have to sit behind me.'

'Oh, okay.' I said. I looked at the seat. It was plenty big enough for two people. I didn't see why Leo was so nervous. 'Is there, like, a seat belt or anything?'

Leo laughed nervously and climbed onto the bike. 'It's a _motorbike_, Jen.'

That's when I turned as red as Leo's bike. To stay on, I'd have to hold on to Leo. I'd have to basically hug him for...for however long it'd take to get to his house.

Sensing my nervousness, Leo said, 'My house isn't very far. It'll be over before you know it.'

I tried not to look as terrified-but slightly excited- as I felt. 'Ok.' I climbed in behind him. 'Ready when you are, Valdez.'

I wrapped my arms around him and he revved the engine. I was surprised at what I felt. Leo had rock hard abs and just general good shape. It must come from all the mechanic work he did. I wanted to rub his stomach (OMG, even just _saying_ that sounds weird), but I restrained myself. Instead, I kind of tightened my grip without really thinking about it. I wondered how Sara would react if she saw me now, gripping onto Leo for dear life, while he rode away into the distance. Her face would practically radiate jealousy.

We whizzed out of the school and around a few bends. Leo was pretty good with the bike. And, I know this sounds cheesy, but it was like he was at one with the bike.

Huh. Weird.

Anyway, Leo was right about one thing: his house _was_ very close to the school. The ride was, at most, 10 minutes long. I didn't want it to be over, but we pulled up to a cool-looking house. Leo pushed a button on the motorbike, and the garage door opened (ok, so this was officially the best motorbike _ever_.). He drove in slowly and put off the motorbike. I didn't let go.

'Uh, Jen?' He asked.

'Hm? Oh, right.' I unwillingly let go of him. He got up and offered his hand. I took it happily and climbed off the bike.

'Welcome to my humble abode.'

_Humble_ was a mild way of putting it. Leo's house was just like his bike: _awesome_.

The door from the garage led to a hallway. The first thing that came to my mind, after awesome, was green. Almost _everything_ was green, for some odd reason. Maybe his mom liked green or something. Green and white striped walls, a green coat hook, a green shoe rack, even a green umbrella bin (did people even _have_ umbrella bins these days?).

That may have seemed fairly normal to you, but I'm not done yet. I probably should have started with the fact that there were tools, everything from spanners to screws, hanging on the walls. They formed shapes and collages, and across one wall was the name 'Valdez' completely spelled out in hammers and nails. It didn't seem safe, but it was pretty cool.

There were five exits from the hallway: the stairs that led up in a spiral, the door we'd just come from, a door that I guessed led outside, a door that I guessed led to a toilet, and directly opposite us, a door that I guessed led to the living room.

Leo took me by the hand and led me to the door opposite us. It did indeed lead to a living room. There were two green couches facing each other with a small table in the middle of them. There was also a floral print carpet-alternating between green and white.

Cosy, I thought. Definitely cosy.

'Not bad, Valdez.' I commented, looking at the large couch in the living room that we'd stepped into. I guessed that was where the guitar lesson would take place. Then I noticed something else.

'Um, are we here alone?' I asked uneasily.

Leo's grin faded. He wouldn't meet my gaze. 'Yah. I spend most of my time home alone.'

'Oh. What does your dad do?'

'Like I said, he's a mechanic.' Leo was lying. I could tell. However, I didn't push him for details.

'And your mom?'

This time Leo looked straight at me, his brown gaze piercing and stiff. 'She died in a workshop fire when I was eight.'

'Oh.' I said softly. Leo didn't look sad. He looked like he was used to it, almost. His expression was hard, like he was trying to conceal emotions. In fact, he looked searching, like he wanted to see how I would respond.

Then, almost against my own will, I surged forward and hugged him. I didn't say anything, just wrapped my arms around him. He seemed surprised at first, but then he relaxed and hugged me back. I didn't say anything. If I was Leo, I wouldn't want anyone to start saying things like 'Oh I'm so sorry, I feel you.' Because obviously they couldn't relate. Sometimes, the best sympathy was silence.

I pulled away slowly and unwillingly and looked up at him. His expression was softer now, and more solemn. Somehow, subconsciously, I had counted how long we hugged. And it was _20 whole seconds_.

'Um, we should start the lesson now.' Leo said. He started to head towards the couch, but stopped and turned around to grin at me. 'And, hey, thanks Jen.'

'No problem, Valdez.' I plopped onto the couch. I gestured at the two guitars that were stashed in the corner in black guitar bags. 'You have two?'

'Yeah. I had one, then I got a new one when I went to this camp.' He replied, unzipping the bags. I hadn't brought my own guitar because that would be kind of impossible to carry on a motorbike.

'Cool. What camp was it?' I asked. Leo's face immediately grew nervous, like he was hiding something from me. I felt kind of hurt that he'd do that, because even though we'd only known each other for a few days I considered him my best guy friend. But again, I didn't push for details.

'It's not important.' He said quickly. He plopped himself on the couch directly opposite me, and handed me one of the guitars. 'Lets just start this guitar lesson, ok?'

'Ok!' I feigned enthusiasm. I was pretty excited to be learning guitar, but not when Leo was hiding things from me.

Leo showed me some basic stuff: the names of the parts of the guitar; the names of the open strings; and the proper way to hold the guitar (I wasn't _that_ bad at guitar...). Then he helped me tune my guitar. Then came the hard part: I actually had to learn to _play_ it.

He taught me how to play a chromatic scale starting on E. It wasn't exactly _hard_, but my hands were much smaller than his, and I found it difficult to stretch to all the frets and strings I had to push down. I kept failing, and he kept making me restart.

After my fourth try, I groaned in frustration. Leo chuckled his Leo Valdez chuckle. 'Its not that hard, Jen. Look, let me show you.'

He set down his guitar and came to sit next to me on the couch. He held his arms out a little awkwardly. 'Uh, do you mind if I...'

'Sure,' I said, trying to sound nonchalant. 'Anything to get these dumb scales right.'

He put his arms around and over mine, showing me how to stretch my hands properly to make the notes easier to do. I tried to concentrate, I really did, but Leo had his arms around me, and his soft voice was in my ear, quietly correcting my errors, and I just...couldn't think straight. I gritted my teeth and all but forced myself not to faint.

'You okay?' Leo whispered to me. His voice sounded so..._smooth_. 'You seem tense.'

'Hm? Oh, I'm just trying to get this right. Could you show me on your own guitar?' I asked. I was politely asking him to let go of me, even though I really didn't want him to. It was the only way to control the butterflies in my stomach.

'Oh, ok. Sure.' He sounded a bit disappointed, but he obliged. He picked up his guitar again and started playing the scales. Then, suddenly, he started improvising, playing out random notes that all came together into a cool-in-its-own-way song. He carried on for a few seconds, then slipped back into scales without skipping a beat.

I shook my head in disbelief. 'How do you do that?'

Leo looked at me surprised. 'How do I do what?'

'You just started playing this totally awesome song, and then you stopped.'

'Oh.' Leo looked down, and I'm pretty sure if he didn't have darker skin than I did, he'd be blushing. 'I do that sometimes. I didn't even notice I did. Sorry.'

Then I said something completely true, and completely dumb. 'Don't be sorry. It's hot when you do that.'

I don't think Leo could have looked more surprised if he'd wanted to. His eyebrows almost got lost in his hairline. 'Really?'

I was inwardly slapping myself about a billion times. _Stupid, stupid, STUPID!_ I thought. _You are such an IDIOT, Jen!_

'Uh, I, uh, have to, uh,' I said something intelligent, like 'toilet' and ran.

**Leo's POV**

What did I do?

**Jen's POV**

'Jen? Jen!' Leo called as I ran to the toilet I had seen on my way in. Gosh. I can be such an _idiot_ sometimes.

I got to the toilet and locked myself inside. I took a few deep breaths, trying to calm myself down. I still couldn't believe I had just called Leo Valdez hot.

I heard Leo knocking softly on the door. 'Jen? Jen? I know you're in there.' His voice sounded concerned, which I thought was really sweet of him. 'Jen, are you okay?'

He sounded so caring and kind, it took all my might not to unlock the door and kiss him right there. I stopped myself, though.

'Jen.' He sounded really worried now. '_Please_ come out, Jen.'

I took a deep breath and unlocked the door. I opened it a crack and peeked outside. The first thing I saw was Leo Valdez's bare chest, abs and all.

'VALDEZ!' I yelled, hastily shutting and locking the door again.

'What?' He sounded utterly bewildered. 'What did I do?'

'You're not wearing a shirt!' Gosh, he can be so _clueless_ sometimes.

I could imagine him looking down at himself, confused and only just realizing he wasn't wearing a shirt. 'But it's hot.' He said.

'Yes, yes, I _know_ it's hot when you do that Valdez, but could you not?!' I rubbed my fingers against my temples. Then I realized what I'd just said and groaned inwardly.

'I didn't mean-I meant like the temperature-wait, you think I'm hot?' He sounded so confused it was cute, but I didn't have time to think about that.

'Valdez,' I said through gritted teeth. 'Put something on. _Now_.' My voice sounded different again, like it had when I was talking to the hydra.

I heard shuffling, as if Leo was trying to run as quick as he could to find a shirt. It was like he really wanted to obey what I'd said. Sooner than I'd expected, he said 'Ok, done.'

I came out and saw that he hadn't only put on a shirt, he'd put on a hoodie and a winter jacket too. 'Um, those weren't really necessary...'

He looked down at himself, confused. 'Uh, I don't.. I, uh, I'll take them off.' He looked uneasily at me. 'I'll keep my shirt on this time, though.'

'Yah. You do that.' I said as he took off his jacket and hoodie. I glanced at my watch and realized we still had a half hour of my guitar lesson left. And staring at Leo playing guitar, maybe sometimes improvising like he said he tended to do, well, that was just too much for me.

'I think I should go home now.' I said, not looking at his eyes. I knew looking into those chocolatey drops of perfection would make me lose all sense of self control.

'But we still have half an hour left.' Leo pointed out. Ah, boys. They were so _dumb_ sometimes.

'But, I, uh, I just really wanna go now. Thanks for the lesson.' And I meant it. I still thought it was really nice of him to offer to teach me guitar.

Leo looked disappointed. 'Ok. I'll just get my keys and I'll drop you on my bike, ok?'

'No.' I said firmly. As much as I wanted to hug Leo again for about 10 minutes, I had to resist the temptation. 'I'll take the bus. But thank you for offering.'

I went to the living room to get my stuff. By the time I got back to the hall, Leo looked like a deflated balloon. I really, _really_, wanted to kiss him, but I stood my ground.

'Thanks, Leo. Bye.'

'Yeah. Bye Jen.'

Then I turned and walked out the door like the idiot I am.

**Leo's POV**

I have never understood girls. Never have, never will.

First, they ask you about a touchy subject like your mom dying. Then they respond _exactly_ how you want them to: none of that dumb, pitiful stuff- just a nice hug to say "hey, it's okay.". Then they let you kind of (but not _exactly_) hug them as you teach them guitar. Then they call you hot. Then they run to the toilet and lock themselves in. Then they freak out when they see you shirtless. Then they call you hot _again_, only to tell you to put on your shirt. And the final step: they leave your house in such a rush, you get all confused.

Yay. Fun.

Jen was so confusing.

I hoped she wasn't mad at me. That would be the last thing I wanted. Not just for personal reasons (even though that was about 98% of my reasons...), but because of my mission. I _had_ to talk to Jen alone.

And that's when I remembered.

I had _completely_ forgotten to talk to Jen about...well, _you know_.

**Is that long enough? It seems long enough.**

**The Jeo moments are coming by the storm! Especially next chapter (oooooh).**

**I'll try and upload more ASAP. Bye!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Er herro.**

**Because I still feel bad, I uploaded a chapter yesterday AND I'm uploading one today. It's going to be medium length, and there's going to be a cliffhanger. Sowy.**

**But I promise Chapter 5 will follow soon enough, so DO NOT PANIC.**

**UNLESS YOU WANT TO PANIC! AT THE DISCO.**

**OK.**

**BYE.**

**Jen's POV**

I am _such_ an idiot.

I didn't take into account the fact that my plan to ignore Leo for as long as possible would be thwarted by the fact that we had homeroom and lunch together. And lunch we had next to each other.

I quickly fixed my plan though. When I came into homeroom, Leo immediately looked up and headed out of the crowd he was always immersed in (that was growing bigger daily) towards me. However, I pointedly turned around and headed back into the hallway. I heard him call my name, and I simply picked up my pace and ran to the bathrooms. I hid it out in there until I was almost late for register. Then I went back into the class, and Leo couldn't talk to me anymore because Mrs Blackman had already started taking register. He turned around a few times to plead at me with his eyes (as if to say, 'please, please, _please_ can we talk?'), but I completely ignored him.

We didn't have any classes together, so up till lunch I didn't have any problems.

Then lunch came. I'd already sat down, about to start eating lunch, when Leo walked up to the table.

Now this was the part of my day that I hadn't planned well. I would just have to hope that Sara would go along with what I was about to say.

I got up. 'Hey, Sara, why don't we go sit somewhere else?'

She looked at me, confused. 'Why, Jen? I think this place is just fine.' She batted her eyelashes at Leo. It angered me deeply on the inside whenever she tried to flirt with him. I don't know why. It's _definitely_ not because _I_ like him. Definitely.

Well, maybe a little.

I gritted my teeth. 'Come on, Sara.' My voice sounded different again, like when I'd talked to the hydra or Leo yesterday.

Sara's expression changed. She gripped her lunch tray and got up so fast she nearly tipped everything on it over. 'Yeah. Yeah, we should go.' Then she came to her senses and blinked apologetically at Leo. 'Um, sorry.'

He looked crestfallen. I almost hugged him, but I held my ground and marched away from the table towards an empty table in the corner. Sara followed, but she kept looking over her shoulder at Leo.

'Uh, is everything ok with you and Leo?'

I growled. 'No.' I said simply, trying to get the message across that I did _not_ want to talk about it.

But Sara didn't get it. She's dumb that way sometimes.

'Was it at the guitar lesson? Did he turn out to be really, _really_ horrible?'

'It was at the guitar lesson.' I said, again trying to politely ask her to shut the heck up.

'What did he-'

'Sara.' I turned around and stared daggers at her. 'I do _not_ want to talk about it.'

'Oh.' Her voice sounded small and she set her lunch down at the table we had just reached. She quietly began to eat.

I softened a bit and sat down next to her. 'Sorry. I'm just not feeling too well.'

'Yah. _That's_ it.' Sara said as sarcastically as she could. She looked at me, an understanding look in her eyes. 'You know, if it's boy trouble, you can talk to me about it.'

I sighed. 'Sara, you have _no_ idea how much boy trouble this is.'

**Leo's POV**

Yep. She was _definitely_ mad.

But seriously. What the heck did I do?

Ok, maybe she was mad because I had taken my shirt off. But it was hot, ok?! Like, _boiling_!

I was getting seriously depressed by lunchtime. I mean, she was taking this huge effort to completely ignore me, and I was giving her just the reaction she must want: being completely affected.

But how could I not? This girl who had made me feel so many emotions in so little days decided to stop talking to me. I mean, what would _you_ do?

So at the end of lunch, I was determined to think of a plan during the last period of school on getting her to talk to me again.

And so it happened that I was staring out the window during English, completely zoning out on whatever Mr Rawter was saying.

And so it happened that I happened to be staring out the window in the middle of the lesson when Jen walked by the hallway.

And so it happened that I asked to go to the bathroom at that exact moment.

And so it happened that I headed out into the hallway to confront Jen.

**Jen's POV**

Seriously, sometimes my stupidity surprises even _me_.

I mean, there I was, trying to keep on the down-low so that I could avoid Leo.

And I decided to ask to go to the bathroom during my Math class.

Which, thanks to fate, is right next to Leo's English class.

And of _course_ Leo would ask to go the bathroom as well.

And of _course_ he would wait for me outside the bathroom until I was done.

And of _course_ looking into his brown eyes would make me melt.

So of _course_ I did what I did next.

'Hi Jen.' He said as I came out, completely unaware of him being there.

'Valdez?' I asked, completely surprised and a little irritated. I mean, I'd taken this _huge_ effort to ignore him for the whole day, and all he does is corner me when I least expect it.

I started to push him away and tried to walk off, but he took hold of my shoulders and held on tightly. He was muscly as yesterday had proven, so it was next to impossible to struggle out of his grasp.

'Look at me, ok?' I forced myself to look into his eyes, steeling myself over as best I could. I simply could _not_ afford to lose myself here.

'Look, I'm sorry ok?' He started, looking really serious. 'Whatever I did, I'm sorry. I just can't bear to have you ignore me like that. You're my best friend at this school. I've felt miserable today. If you don't want to have guitar lessons with me anymore, that's fine. It's your choice. But just please-'

And that's where I became an idiot. That's where I couldn't take it anymore. Staring at his eyes, and watching his lips babble apologies, I just lost control of myself.

I pushed a finger across his lips. 'You talk too much, Valdez.'

Then I leaned towards him.

And I didn't stop leaning till our lips touched.

**Cliffy! #sorrynotsorry #firstevershortauthorsnote**


	5. Chapter 5

**See? I told you you wouldn't wait long! Three updates in three days! Yay!**

**I still feel really bad for Audrey and Not Bob who reviewed TWO MONTHS AGO (btw if you're still reading...hi! And thanks!) so you can thank them for the quick updates. :)**

**ANYWHALE! Onto the story!**

**Leo's POV**

I _told_ you girls were confusing.

They make absolutely no sense.

Like, _whatsoever_.

Makes me wonder why guys like me fall in love with them so easily.

Meh. Not really gonna get all philosophical right now. Too busy enjoying my kiss with Jen.

Which, by the way, _totally_ took me by surprise.

There I was, trying desperately to apologize for whatever it was that I'd done. Then she just shut me up with a kiss.

Huh. Girls.

I didn't complain though. I was surprised, but pleasantly so. I went along with it. I slipped my arms down from her shoulders onto her hips, pulling her body closer to mine. She slid her arms around my neck and stood on her tiptoes a bit so it would be easier for us to kiss. She still smelled like lavender and roses, and her lips were warm and soft. I felt so completely charged up, I really hoped I wouldn't accidentally set her hips on fire. To stop that from happening (hopefully), I put one of my hands on her cheek. I pulled her face as close to mine as I could manage, and tilted my head.

You know what?

Screw English.

Screw Mr Rawter.

Screw Camp Half-Blood.

All I wanted was to keep this moment with Jen forever.

**Jen's POV**

And the prize for the world's biggest idiot goes to...JEN MILLER! WOO!

I can't believe I kissed Leo.

How dumb could I _get_?

Oh, sure, I _liked_ it. I knew I shouldn't have, but I did. Heck, I loved it. Leo is an amazing kisser. He was never too rough, never too quick. He was just..._perfect_.

Then I came to my senses and forced myself to push my lips away from his. I didn't stop him from holding on to my cheek or my hip. I was still too insane.

'Wow.' He said. His breath was warm on my face. 'Jen, that was...that was _amazing_.'

And I could tell he meant it. I can tell things like that. And if any other girl had taken a huge step like that and kissed her crush (_YOU DO NOT HAVE A CRUSH ON LEO, JEN_! I scolded), only to find out that he felt the same way about her, she'd be totally psyched.

However, I was not. Here was this mystery guy I may or may not be in love with, who had dropped into my school, had the ability to light his hands on fire, had helped me battle some weird snake thing, and whom I'd called hot twice in one day. And I had just kissed him, only to have him kiss me back.

Gosh.

I am so stupid sometimes.

I stepped away from him fully now. 'Uh, Math. Gotta g-get back to...lesson. Yah.'

Leo looked at me. His eyes were glazed over, like he was still in kiss mode. I wanted to kiss him again _so_ badly. 'Will you stop ignoring me now?' He asked.

I gritted my teeth and pushed him away. 'No, Valdez.'

_That_ woke him up. He stepped back like he'd been punched in the stomach. 'Wh-what?!'

I started to march away towards my Math class. Then I turned round to face a completely perplexed Leo Valdez. 'You heard me Valdez. No.'

Then I ran back to my Math class before I earned myself the name "Toilet Jen" or something.

**Leo's POV**

Did I say girls were confusing? I take that back. Girls are completely and utterly in every way _baffling_.

Why did she call me hot yesterday? Why did she ignore me? Why did she kiss me? Why did she push me away, and then say she would keep ignoring me?

Isaac Newton could figure out the law of gravity just because an apple fell on his head. Pfft. If he could figure out girls, _then_ I'd be impressed.

I walked back to English, and I think I must have literally been drooping. That's what I felt like anyway. I can't believe Jen had just freaking kissed me, then said she was going to keep ignoring me. I mean, seriously, who does that?

_Jen Miller,_ I thought glumly.

Mr Rawter was talking about the life of Shakespeare or something when I came in. I didn't know. I didn't care. I had only come to this school undercover, anyway. And I had one mission, and one mission only. To confirm if Jen was a half-blood or not.

And, ok, I had gotten slightly sidetracked. I had fallen in love with her.

And not just a crush or anything. Because while we were kissing, I felt sparks.

So yah. It's official.

I, Leo Valdez, am in love with Jen Miller.

**Jen's POV**

Needless to say, I completely zoned out for the rest of math, involuntarily replaying my kiss with Leo. I remembered one small, insignificant feature that was probably just a figment of my imagination. Nevertheless, I thought and thought about it to make sure.

After the first few times of replaying the kiss, not getting the results I wanted, Sara poked me in the arm.

'Hey, what happened out there?' She asked. I began to freak out, but then I realized there was no way Sara could have seen me kiss Leo. The toilets were too far away. Besides, if she'd seen that, she'd be all sulky because she still had a crush in him. I was 98% sure about that. Instead, she looked honestly concerned.

'Oh, nothing,' I said, putting on my best normal face. 'I don't think that burger I had during lunch agreed with me.' I clutched my stomach for effect.

Sara wasn't fooled. She looked at me skeptically and said, 'Yeah, right. What _actually_ happened, Jen?'

I had forgotten one thing: as good as I was at concealing my feelings, Sara had been my best friend for two years. She could read me like a book. I couldn't lie to her.

Well. Not completely, anyway.

I sighed dramatically. 'Leo met me in the hallway. He was really upset that I was ignoring him. He started begging and being all babyish, so I just pushed him away and marched back to class.'

'What?!' Sara whisper-shouted. She couldn't have been more surprised if I'd said I was secretly an alien. 'Jen!'

'What?' I demanded, crossing my arms. 'I can ignore him if I want, can't I?'

'But, but...Jen!'

'Ok, look, forget about it.' I slid down further in my seat. Sara was being a big high school drama queen. But I didn't have time to worry about that. I replayed the kiss again, and I resentfully admitted that the small, insignificant feature in the kiss had most _definitely_ happened.

Yup. That's right. I'd felt sparks.

And so I grudgingly had to accept the truth, no matter how much I tried to hide it.

I, Jen Miller, am in love with Leo Valdez.

**And that's all for now folks! Sorry for the slight cheesiness with the whole feeling sparks thing XP Tune in soon, and don't forget reviews that I will actually manually be checking now :) baiiii**


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